| Course: | Philosophy 381-01, 381: Philosophy of Language |
| Time: | Spring 2025, TR, 9:00-10:15. |
| Location: | Humanities 405 |
| Instructor: | Geoff Goddu x8733 or 543-5676 (absolutely no later than 10 pm!). |
| Office Hours: | T 11-12:30; W 12- 2; R 10:30 - 12:00; by appointment. Humanities 401 |
| Texts: | All readings available online |
Description:
This course is a selective survey of current philosophy of language via numerous
contemporary works of philosophy. Questions
to be addressed may include--What is a language? What are the possibilities for linguistic communication? What are the presuppositions of successful linguisitc communication? What is meaning, reference, truth? Do non-humans have languages? How do specialized linguistic features such as metaphor, anaphora, etc. work?
| Requirements: | Reading Quizzes/Participation | 10% |
| 5 Short Papers | 30% | |
| Term Paper | 30% | |
| Final Exam | 30% |
Honor Code: Satisfaction of all the requirements must
be by your own individual and independent work. All your work
must be pledged.
Attendance: Every unexcused absence will result in a deduction
of 1% from the total grade achieved satisfying the class requirements.
Note that you are responsible for all assigned material. Recordings of class periods will be available in Blackboard after each class. If you miss a class, you are expected to watch the available recording prior to seeking assistance in office hours.
| Grading Scale: | A+ | 97.5-100 | A | 92.5-97.49 | A- | 89.5-92.49 |
| B+ | 87.5-89.49 | B | 82.5-87.49 | B- | 79.5-82.49 | |
| C+ | 77.5-79.49 | C | 72.5-77.49 | C- | 69.5-72.49 | |
| D+ | 67.5-69.49 | D | 62.5-67.49 | D- | 59.5-62.49 | |
| F | 0-59.49 |
Provisional Schedule: [All readings and assignments are due at the beginning of class!]
| Day | Date | Topic | Readings and Assignments Due |
| 1 | T 1/14 | Introduction | |
| I. What is Language? | |||
| 2 | R 1/16 | Terminology | Martin 1, |
| 3 | T 1/21 | "Of Words" | Locke |
| 4 | R 1/23 | "Language and Its Near Relations" | Alston |
| 5 | T 1/28 | "Languages and Language" |
Lewis, SP #1 |
| 6 | R 1/30 | "Language and Problems of Knowledge" | Chomsky |
| 7 | T 2/4 | "Animal and Machine Language" | Martin ch. 10 |
| II. Theories of Meaning | |||
| 8 | R 2/6 | Reference | Lycan 1, Salmon (1.1-3.1) |
| 9 | T 2/11 | Reference Plus? | |
| 10 | R 2/13 | Sense | Frege, Salmon (3.2) |
| 11 | T 2/18 | Non-sense |
Kripke |
| 12 | R 2/20 | Character and Context | Kaplan |
| 13 | T 2/25 | Intentions | Grice |
| 14 | R 2/27 | In the Head? | Putnam |
| 15 | T 3/4 | Meaning as Use | |
| 16 | R 3/6 | Behaviour | Quine |
| Spring Break! | Spring Break! | Spring Break! | |
| 17 | T 3/18 | Truth and Meaning | Davidson (Extra: Davidson 1) |
| 18 | R 3/20 | What Is a Theory of Meaning? | Dummett, |
| 19 | T 3/25 | Summary | Davidson 2; SP #4 |
| III. Special Topics | |||
| 20 | R 3/27 | Metaphor | Davidson 3 |
| 21 | T 4/1 | Metaphor | Martinich |
| 22 | R 4/3 | Metaphor | Lycan, |
| 23 | T 4/8 | Vagueness | Sorensen; SP#5 |
| 24 | R 4/10 | Vagueness | |
| 25 | T 4/15 | Vagueness | Graff Fara |
| 26 | R 4/17 | Private Language |
|
| 27 | T 4/22 | Private Language | |
| 28 | R 4/24 | Paradoxes of Language | Lord Dunsany; Term Paper |